Words by Ella Crowley // photos by Cameron Grant
Country music is one of the most divisive music genres there is. People either live and breathe it, or despise it to the core. But there is one thing we can all agree on: We love Dolly! Personally, I have a small framed photo of her in my bathroom – She blesses my every shower. There’s a lot you can say about why Dolly Parton is one of the world’s most beloved artists, and I think this show puts it perfectly. She has always had an aura of acceptance, as if she would tuck you into bed, sing you a song and make you something to drink. In this show she does all three.
In the all-too-familiar setting of 2020’s Covid lockdown. Kevin (Dash Kruck) is a wannabe comedian who has recently gone through a break up with his boyfriend and has had to move back home to Bendigo, a point of humour for the Melbourne audience. Suffering from a loss of confidence, he calls upon his idol Dolly Parton – Little did he know she was going to pop out of his poster and come to life!
Here You Come Again took over the comedy theatre last Wednesday night with joy, pink tassels and glitter. Since the show’s debut in the United States, it has been adapted for UK audiences and has now been given a fresh Aussie treatment by Fiona Harris and Mike Mcleash (Writer’s of The Drop Off).
The Australian version gives us a picture of what it’s like to feel the potential of a larger city like Melbourne. To always feel like you’re on the cusp of something great that you can’t quite reach. Harris and Mcleash sprinkled beloved references throughout, inviting the audience in and making them feel at home – Humphry the bear received a lot of love at every mention.
The show was originally authored by Tricia Paoluccio, who also stars as Dolly, alongside Bruce Vilanch and Gabriel Barre. Paluccio wanted to portray Parton as a “rhinestone-clad, no-nonsense fairy godmother.” And that she does. While Covid as a setting can sometimes feel like a time we will never be nostalgic for, Here You Come Again takes that memory and covers it in the warm sunshine that is Dolly Parton. Tricia Paoluccio is exactly that, a ray of sunshine. From the second she appears on stage you could feel everyone in the audience’s giddy grin, as if we were really in the room with Dolly Parton. Aside from the effortlessly impeccable vocal performance, Paoluccio matches Dolly’s famous warm familiarity with her audience, making it feel less like an impression of Dolly and more like an homage to how she makes us feel.
A highlight of the show was how the creators effectively delve into Dolly’s niche backlog . It turns out Dolly has quite the impressive discography of songs with sad plots, delivered in a darkly comedic tone. The jovial performance of ‘Me and Little Andy’ ended with:
She was just a little girl, not more than six or seven
But that night as they slept, the angels took them both to heaven
God knew little Andy would be lonesome with her gone
Now Sandy and her puppy dog won’t ever be alone.
It was moments like this that make Paoluccio’s Dolly Parton a full character in this universe they’ve created, rather than a guest star in the story.
Set and Costume Designer Paul Wills’ vision of a Dolly-Filled childhood bedroom, covered in her image, is another star of the show. It includes many nooks and crannies allowing for fun lighting moments, surprise reveals and many places for the band to appear. Further vitalised by Jason Bovaird’s lighting, which sculpts the space, transforming the staple set piece throughout the show. Even the choice of using fairy lights during the performances’ more vulnerable moments created such intimacy and made the singular set dynamic.
A current Melbourne theatre trend is a band on stage. We’ve seen it in Hadestown and Hedwig and the Angry Inch, but it feels particularly at home in Here You Come Again. You can feel the band’s enjoyment as if we were at a Dolly Concert ourselves. The band is not stuck to one corner during this show, they move with Dolly. They are up on top of the set delivering music from above for her more preachy numbers, but for an iconic tale like Jolene, they appear right beside her – to dance and to play alongside the standout ensemble including Kellie Rode, Bailey Dunnage and Laura Joy Bunting. These three performers cannot be praised enough. As Dolly Parton’s very own Greek Chorus, they play hilarious bit characters, sing flawless backup for our Dolly and engage with the audience. The finale of the show gives them all a chance to flex their vocal ability in a super fun Megamix.
Here You Come Again is exactly what you want to see when coming to a musical about Dolly Parton. She is going to appear in a cloud of smoke. She is going to sing 9-5. She is going to tell you to stand up for yourself, and you will be up on your feet dancing by the end.
Here You Come Again is playing at the Comedy Theatre from the 23rd of October – 2nd November in Melbourne.
Additional Tour Dates:
Perth – Regal Theatre
From 22 August 2025
Sydney – Theatre Royal Sydney
From 12 September 2025
Newcastle – The Civic Theatre
From 20 November 2025
Canberra – Canberra Theatre Centre
From 27 November 2025
Adelaide – Her Majesty’s Theatre
From 6 December 2025
